Getting Started

Technical requirements
In addition to a confident level of computer and Internet literacy, certain minimum technical requirements must be met to enable a successful learning experience. Technical requirements include but are not limited to:
Hardware

A Pentium processor or equivalent Mac system; Windows 98/Me/2000/XP or Mac OS 9.x or OS X 10.x
Internet access with 56.6 kbps modem (minimum); high-bandwidth connection recommended
128 MB system Ram; 500 MB free disk space or sufficient storage
Sound card
CD-ROM capabilities

Software

Web browser: Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, AOL, Firefox, Mozilla or Safari. For WebCT (UT Dallas currently has WebCT CE 6) supported browsers and versions, please see the validated browser list. Also, see the browser configuration information below.
MS Office 2000 is the minimum standard. (Microsoft software is available at a nominal cost from UT Dallas. For more information, visit the online services.
Virus detection/protection software (such as McAfee).
A zip file expansion tool such as WinZip.
"Plug-ins" including (free versions available for downloading):

Web browser configuration
For WebCT courses to work properly, users will need one of the WebCT supported browsers listed in the validated browser list with Java enabled and cookies enabled. It is also important to set the cache settings of the browser to "every time" to verify web documents. Users should also disable any pop-up blocking for the WebCT site. The methods for configuring these settings vary among browsers.

Please go to the WebCT browser tune up page to find more information.

Course access and navigation
Most online courses were developed using a web course tool called WebCT. Courses are delivered entirely online. Students will be notified by email about the course access information at the start of the course. Students must have a UTD NetID and password to access the course. New students can go to the UTD NetID page at http://netid.utdallas.edu to initiate their accounts shortly before or at the start of the semester. The NetID and password are used as the WebCT ID and password for login. Students can use this account to access all of UT Dallas' WebCT courses plus other UT Dallas computing systems (e.g. your UT Dallas email account). Please note that the account password must be updated every 6 months. The university sends users a reminder message prior to password expiration.

For more information, please visit the NetID FAQs page.

The URL for the course login page is: http://galaxy.utdallas.edu. Once you log in to Galaxy, click on the "WebCT" link under "Self Service Links" (in the upper left-hand column). Courses may be accessed at any time after the semester starts. Students are required to meet all assignment and exam deadlines. Participation in scheduled class activities is required. Students should log in to the course site regularly (at least three times per week) to check course updates, review lectures, complete assessment tasks, check course emails, and contribute to the discussion board.

Students will see the "My WebCT" page after login. This page lists all courses that students have registered for (including on-campus courses). Students can click the course title to access the course home page, which displays several icon links that go to subsidiary pages containing course content elements or built-in course tools. Some components, such as the navigation bar with course menu on the left side, the menu bar and the path link on the top, can help you navigate within the course site.

WebCT orientation
For information on how to access your WebCT course, please see the Getting Started: Student WebCT Orientation. Within the course site, students can always click "help" on the WebCT menu bar to find information and answers. They can also check out the Orientation Center to Online Learning and WebCT provided on WebCT's web site.

For more WebCT information and its learning resources, visit WebCT.com.

Communications

WebCT built-in communication tools
There are four built-in communication tools to facilitate learning, communication, interaction and collaboration. The announcements tool is used by instructors to post text announcements to the class. A course communication system, the discussion tool, allows asynchronous communication among all course participants. Discussion topics or private discussion groups can be set up for class topic discussions and homework assignments. It also serves as a course bulletin board where the instructor can post course announcements and students can exchange information. Students can use the course mail tool to communicate privately with the instructor and any class participant. The chat/whiteboard tool can be used for real-time communication among course participants. The instructor may schedule times to use the chat or whiteboard tools for office hours or class discussion sessions. Small groups may also use the chat tool for group discussions.

Please see the WebCT help menu for more details on using these tools.

Emailing
Besides using the WebCT course internal email, students may contact the instructor via external email. UT Dallas provides students with a free email account for communication with university personnel. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of individuals corresponding and the security of the transmitted information.

To access UT Dallas email, please go to: http://galaxy.utdallas.edu and log in with the UT Dallas NetID and password (the same as your WebCT login). The Department of Information Resources at UT Dallas provides a method for students to forward email from other accounts to their UT Dallas address and have their email sent to other accounts. Students may go to the following URL to establish email forwarding: http://netid.utdallas.edu.

For assistance with your UT Dallas email account, call 972-883-2911 or go to http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/helpdesk/.

Web conferencing
A web conferencing tool, Adobe Connect, is available for real-time communications and interaction in online courses. This powerful tool combines Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) application and desktop sharing, instant messaging and whiteboard functionality to create a powerful, easy-to-use, collaborative learning environment.

Adobe Connect provides an advanced web conferencing environment that is easy to use. Below are just a few of the opportunities Adobe Connect provides.

Live web conferencing with VoIP
Application and desktop sharing
Powerful student presentations
Increased collaboration

Adobe Connect training and hands-on demos
Adobe Connect's resources web site provides training guides and recorded demonstrations to make users familiar with the many easy-to-use functions available to use. Below is a short list of links that are useful for students.

Useful Links :

Below is a quick guide to help you get started with Adobe Connect:

Adobe Connect Quick Reference Guide (pdf file)

Technical requirements for using adobe connect
Each user will need a headset microphone connected to a computer with Internet access. Adobe Connect requires that users have the Adobe Flash Player plug-in installed on their computer.

Web conference calendar
A Web conference calendar with all scheduled School of Management web conferences is available. Student groups can check this calendar for available time slots when scheduling group meetings.

How to schedule a student group meeting
To schedule a group meeting for an online class, please send a request one week in advance to som-elearning@utdallas.edu. Please include the course name, meeting date, time, duration and number of participants. The requester will be the group meeting host.

For questions or comments regarding using Adobe Connect, please email som-elearning@utdallas.edu or call 972-883-5964.

Technical support
UT Dallas provides eLearning technical support 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The improved services include a toll free telephone number for immediate assistance (1-866-588-3192), email request service and an online chat service. The UT Dallas user community can also access the support resources such as self-help resources and a knowledge base. Please use this link to access the university's eLearning Support Center: http://www.utdallas.edu/elearninghelp.